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S. L-.YBATESQ f STEAM ENGINE.

No. 418,548. 'Patented Dec. 31,A 1889.

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STEAM ENGINE;

N0.418, 548. -Patqnted nem-31,1889.

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STEAM ENGINE. No. 418.548. 4lmenml 1390.31. 1.889.

'd UNrTD STAT-Es PATENT OFEICE.

sAMUELL. BATES, or cEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

sTaliM-ENGAIME.

l SPECIFICATIO forming part of Letters Patent No. 418,548, dated December 31, 1889.

` i Application filed February 15,1889- Serial No. 299,979. (No model.)

having a vibrating piston; and the object of my invention is to provide fora double or compound action of the engine by a suitable construction of thev cylinder and piston, and in general to improve engines of this class. The invention consists in the construction, combination, andarrang'ement of parts, as hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a' part of this specification, Figure l, Sheet 1, is a side elevation of an engine embodying my invention. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is a central longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3,- Sheet 3, is va central `longitudinal' section of t-he Vsame as seen from the side opposite to that in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4, a fragmentary transverse section of the cylinder in the line ab. Fig. 5,V

Sheet 4, is a plan View of the engine.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the bed of the engine, upon one end of which is mounted the cylinder 2, vanda-t the other end, in suit* able boxes, the crank-shaft 3. Between the two sides-.of the bed is mount ed the belt-wheel 4, which is also a balance-wheel and serves as a support for the governor and eccentric, hereinafter to be described. The cylinder is oblong in shape, the. middle portion being partially circular, as shown, and the ends being extended to form seats or chests for the valves 5, mounted therein. In the upper part of the shell forming the cylinder and steamchests is an induction-port 6, leading from the steam-pipe 7 to the steam-chest above mentioned. A similar eduction-port 8 leads from said steam-chests to an exhaust-outlet 9. In the middle part of the cylinder,between inwardly-extending abutments 10, is mounted the piston 13 14, which vibrates in a vertical plane. The central portion of the piston is partially round in cross-section, as shown, l:and is provided withntwo radial wings 13 and v14, whose outer extremities fit the bores of the cylinder above and below the abutments, respectively. The faces of the abutments which impinge upon the central portion of the piston, as well as the outer sides `and ends crank-shaft 3. vAs the vpiston vibrates but a part of .a revolution, the cranks on the piston are necessarily somewhat longer than those on the crank-shaft. I. `Between the induction and eduction ports above described are shorter ports 22 and 23, leading from the steam-chests to the .upper and lowercompartments of the cylinder, respectively. l

" In practice I use rotary steam-valves of the peculiar forni in cross-section shown, one wing being comparatively narrow and the other wide,`with cavities on opposite sides to allow for the iiow of steam to and from the steam-chests and cylinder. The stems of these valves are provided with suitable cranks 24, coupled by a connecting-rod 25. Instead ofthe common eccentric to actuate the valves,

I use inwpractice an'automatic governor, the 1 construction of which is as follows:

To the balance-wheel 4 Vare pivoted two weighted arms 26 in the usual Way, and to these is intermediately connected a plate 27, havingjan annular flange 28. The plate is slotted, as shown, to allow for the necessary movement across the shaft 3. This annular flange 28 forms the eccentric ring. The eccentric ring is fitted to a box 31, mounted to slide between the arms 32 of a bell-crank le-y ver pivoted to the bed by a stud 33. The other arm of the lever extends downwardly, and connects by another sliding box 3e with the arm 35 of a rock-shaft 36, mounted in ya suitable. box 37. The opposite end of the rock-shaft has an upwardly-extending arm 38, to which is coupled aconneoting-rod 39, also coupled to the connecting-rod 25. Suitable IOO nearly the half of a circle.

springs 40 serve to counteract the centrifugal action of the gravity-arms 26.

The operation ofthe engine will now be clearly seen. In Figs. 2 and 3 the engine is represented as taking steam at the end farther from the belt-wheel and in the upper portion of the cylinder. The valve at the other end has already opened to allow the exhaust-steam to pass out and through the propel' port into the lower portion of the cylinder, where it acts upon the longer wing of the piston. As the piston travels in the direction indicated by the arrows, the valves move forward, as shown by the arrows, until the inner wing of the one nearer the beltwheel is between the intermediate ports 22 and 23, and the corresponding part of the other valve lies between the ports 6 and 22. The opposite wing of this valve at the same time covers the eduction-port S, as shown by the position of the valve at the other end of the cylinder. In other words, the relative positions of the valves are exactly reversed, the engine taking live steam in theupper part, exhaust-steam in the lower part, and exhausting finally through the eduction-port 7 in the reverse order from that indicated in the drawings. This construction is such as to produce a compound engine in very compact form, and of such a nature as to effect economically a high development of power.

The packing for the abutments corresponds to that at the sides of the piston and valve.

The construction, as will be seen, is such as to admit of the piston vibrating through Being double, the power is not only increased, but the piston is balanced, or, more strictly speaking, the strain upon its trunnio'ns is equalized. It is further to be noticed that the working capacity of the engine depends largely upon the stroke of the piston as compared with the stroke of the crank of the crank-shaft, and this more especially as the crank approaches the dead-centers. In the case of a piston vibrating through, say, ninety degrees, there is but little change in the comparative leverage of the piston-crank as it approaches the termini of its stroke, and at the same time there is a great loss of leverage on the part of the other crank as it approaches the deadcenters. It is therefore desirable to make the gain of the one compensate as far as possible the loss of the other, and this is effected by extending the relative stroke of the piston. Thus if the piston passes through one hundred and forty-five degrees, as in the case of this engine, the loss of power in passing the dead-centers is comparatively small, since the leverage of the piston-cranks increases greatly toward the termini of its stroke.

It will be .seen by reference to the drawings that the box inclosing the eccentric ring is free to move back and forth between the guides of the bifurcated arm 32. An advantage gained by this arrangement is in thc freedom which is afforded the eccentric to shift according to the requirements of' the engine and the action of the governor-arms. As ordinarily constructed the shifting of thc eccentric involves also the shifting of the valve in its seat; Abut in this case at two points Ain the revolution of the shaft the eccentric is perfectly free to slip in line with the guides of the bell-crank arm without reference to the position of the valves, and consequently the governor responds very quickly and easily to the demands of the engine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an engine, the combination of the vibrating piston and its cylinder having suitable abutments, said piston having crankand' rod connection with the crank-shafts of a belt-wheel, the valves arranged in said cylinder and having rod-and-crank connect-ion with each other, the eccentric-ring, the sliding box carrying said ring, the bell-crank lever having arms between which said box slides, and a second sliding box connected to said bell-crank lever and to a rock-shaft, said rock-shaft being connected by an arm to a rod, in turn connected to the connecting-rod bctween the cranks of the said valve, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL L. BATES. Witnesses:

S. W. BRAINERD, FREDK. G. CLARK. 

